One reader points out that her statement that the French had fewer tanks than the Germans is false. She misquotes George Will, as we note in the update. And another chap declares it "The Worst Column Ever". However, he is being kind, since he skates past this howler by Ms. Ivins:

"For 18 months after that execrable defeat [France, May 1940], the United States of America continued to have cordial diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany."

We did? Then why have I read so often that FDR, whose history might be familiar to Ms. Ivins, was determined to lead us into war? Does she imagine that Lend-Lease was the act of a truly neutral nation, and that the Germans did not object? Perhaps when a US destroyer attacked a German U-boat, the Germans raised their glasses in good cheer? A few too many excerpts highlighting our "cordial" relations:

1940 AID TO ENGLAND

July 10 - Battle of Britian begins

Aug. 27 - FDR executive order traded destroyers for bases - also allowed British pilots to train in U.S., British ships to be repaired in U.S. ports, Flight Ferry Command, Eagle Squadron

Perhaps a "Marshall Plan" for Ms. Ivins would be helpful - something, anything, to help her marshal her facts.

UPDATE: Writing in the annoying Wall Street Journal (pledge of first-born required), James Woolsey, ex-CIA, defends France and Germany and manages to make sense. He tosses this in as an aside, which relates to a recent George Will gibe:

To take only one case, Internet messages mocking French courage and denying that the French have ever successfully defended Paris should not only be beneath us but are quite false -- the drafters of this nonsense should consult, among other things, the history of the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. Gen. Gallieni's mobilization of the taxis of Paris to rush reinforcements to the front and save the city is as famous in France as Washington's crossing the Delaware is to Americans.

Now, this ties in nicely to Ms. Ivins column for a couple of reasons. First, it illustrates her own ignorance of French history, which complements her ignorance of American history. Secondly, it gives us an excuse to highlight her misquote of George Will.

What she said:

George Will saw fit to include in his latest Newsweek column this joke: "How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? No one knows, it's never been tried."

...(A joke going around: How many French soldiers does it take to defend Paris? No one knows because it has not been tried for so long.)

Quite possibly she was thinking of Fred Barnes, another irksome middle aged white guy on the right. Well, with this Ms. Ivins column, I think we can take for granted that her name is spelled correctly in the byline. After that, you are on your own.